We wanted to see if the staff would ask for identification, or ask if we had permission to sell the large, metal, coin-operated Register honor box. The boxes are on streets and in plazas across the region and have been targeted by thieves and sold for scrap metal.

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An employee asked us what we were selling, and we were truthful. The employee glanced in the window and told us to drive around back to dump it.

We unloaded the box and were paid $6 cash for it. No one ever asked us for any identification. We were not asked whether we worked at the Register or had any right to sell it.

The Derby business' performance was the worst in a recent undercover sting operation in which Register reporters sold scrap metal to businesses in the region to see if they would follow the law. To try to make it easier for police to catch metal thieves, lawmakers have created rules for scrap metal businesses to follow, like asking for identification from sellers.

The Register's two-month investigation exposed potential loopholes in laws designed to crack down on metal theft. Thieves have targeted everything from wiring atop utility poles to memorial plaques for veterans in their quest to make quick money. Police describe it as a nationwide problem.

The Register's investigation showed some businesses bought scrap from us without requiring identification, and some took in suspicious, potentially stolen items, like the Register honor boxes and copper pipe, without question.

Police enforcement action against the businesses or their employees for not following the rules has been rare. When asked, police are hard-pressed to give examples of enforcement, though a police sting in New Haven resulted in a scrap business employee's arrest in 2008.

The businesses are required to file reports on metal they purchase with police, but these reports are often too vague to be of any use to investigators.

"There is severe lack of enforcement (against scrap businesses) across the board," said Jerry Green, vice president of a scrap-recycling business, JW Green Co. Inc. of Plainville, and former president of the New England chapter of the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries.

"This is such an epidemic," he said, referring to scrap thefts. "I think police are overwhelmed to a large degree by the situation."

According to Green, at his business, customers must give their driver's license before JW Green Co. will do any business with them.

"A lot of businesses are trying to address the problem -- and turning people away if they have suspicious items," Green said. "But as long as you have yards that are not following the rules, we'll have problems."

BED SPRINGS AND FRIDGES

In addition to newspaper honor boxes and copper pipe, Register reporters sold items including a bed spring, metal chains, a vehicle's exhaust manifold, a refrigerator, a microwave, an air conditioner and a file cabinet.

State law requires scrap metal businesses to keep records of transactions, including the identification of the person who delivered the metal.

Did they comply with the rules?

There was a wide range -- from M. Jacobs & Sons in Derby, which failed to ask for identification twice in three visits and didn't question the honor box, to others who made every effort to follow the rules and screen what they accept.

Some businesses tell sellers themselves to unload the metal they bring to the scrap yards; the staff doesn't watch closely as sellers unload. Sellers could have stolen merchandise mixed in with what is clearly junk, without being noticed. Some relied on a seller's honesty -- asking what was being delivered without looking at it.

Under state law, scrap metal processors have to record a description of the metal received, the weight, the price paid and the identification of the person who delivered it. They must take a photograph of the vehicle that delivered the metal, including the license plate.

They must keep the documents, photographs and other records for at least two years, and these must be available for inspection by law enforcement.

The businesses must notify police if anyone offers to sell items such as bronze statues, plaques, historical markers, cannons or architectural artifacts. Violators could face a misdemeanor charge.

Scrap metal dealers have to make weekly sworn statements of all transactions, describing the goods received and the name and residence of the seller, to the chief of police or town clerk.

UNDERCOVER SALES

On Feb. 29, Register staffers sold a metal bed spring and metal pot at M. Jacobs & Sons on Factory Street in Derby. The business did not ask for any identification.

Our second sale at the Derby business was on March 29, with the Register honor box, and, again, no one asked for identification.

In April, Derby police visited the business and reminded them of the rules, according to owner Barry Jacobs and office manager Kim Laprade. The police visit came shortly after the Register spoke with police about the local business' practices.

After the police visit, we returned to M. Jacobs and Sons April 13, and this time we were asked for a driver's license when we sold a metal filing cabinet and other metal office items for $10.

A sign posted on the wall inside the Derby business, which was there during all three of our transactions, reminds customers that they must present a license or identification upon receipt of payment, per state law.

According to Laprade, the business hadn't been asking for identification for years. Laprade said Derby police paid the business a visit around April 9, and told them they needed to start asking for identification, "so we did."

"We were doing what we were doing and no one told us different," Laprade said. "This is all new to us. I think a big part of it is because of all the thefts that have occurred, and if something brought here had been stolen, they'd have a better chance of catching people who stole the items."

Questioned after the sting about not asking for identification on two occasions, Jacobs said, "There is no excuse; we should have been doing it."

Jacobs called the laws "more stringent" and added, "It is going to be costly for the business."

While he said the business does have cameras to take images of the scale as vehicles drive on, he said he needs more equipment and new computer programs for entering and storing information. Jacobs estimated the cost for everything he needs at about $10,000 or $20,000.

"This is all initiated because of all the thefts, which are due to drug activity and the economy being bad," Jacobs said. "It is a shame."

He acknowledged that without a paper trail that starts with getting a seller's identification, it would be difficult for police to track down who came in with stolen metal. Jacobs said in mid-April they are now making copies of driver's licenses and taking pictures of license plates.

"We have absolutely tried to alert police when something looks fishy. We try to detain the customer and call the police," Jacobs said. "If we were to buy something that is stolen, we can't sell it, then you lose the material you paid money for."

Derby Police Chief Gerald Narowski said the business has not made weekly reports of its transactions to the department.

"We are looking into their practices and where they fall under the law," Narowski said.

A MIXED GRADE

Alderman-Dow Iron & Metal Co. Inc. on Chapel Street in New Haven had a mixed performance.

On March 21, Register reporters sold a refrigerator and microwave at Alderman-Dow in exchange for $18 cash, and no one ever asked for any identification.

However, on March 6, a staff member at Alderman-Dow did ask to see a driver's license, when Register staff sold a vehicle exhaust manifold there. The business also provided a receipt.

Staff at Alderman-Dow removed the manifold, refrigerator and microwave from our vehicles, so they clearly saw what we were selling.

On March 29, we sold a Register honor box at Alderman-Dow for $8, and they required a driver's license. The staff did not question if we had permission to sell it.

Ian Alderman, an owner of the business, said the company's policy is to require an ID for every retail purchase.

"Our best attempts are being made to follow the statutes, and any time they aren't, it is a mistake on our part, and something we try to rectify," Alderman said. "Occasionally mistakes are made, and something may slip through our system, but it is never our intent."

According to Alderman, the business has full video surveillance of items brought in, photographs are taken of items, and sellers' identification is matched to them.

"We intend and hope to be compliant and to continue to recycle and keep New Haven clean," he said.

Sims Metal Management on Washington Avenue in New Haven asked for a driver's license when Register staff sold metal chains at the business on March 6. Sims went a step further than either the Derby facility or Alderman-Dow, asking us to sign a form to verify we had a right to sell the items. Sims staff asked us what we were selling, but did not inspect it in the trunk to verify it. We were told to drive to a section of the yard and had to remove the metal ourselves.

In August 2008, New Haven police charged a Sims employee after undercover police were able to sell manhole covers there. The employee, who was later terminated, didn't require identification from the sellers and didn't properly document the items, police said at the time.

On March 8, Register staffers took a Register honor box to a different Sims Metal Management facility, on Universal Drive in North Haven, but staff there refused to buy it without a letter on New Haven Register letterhead, signed by a manager, indicating we had a right to sell it.

Daniel Strechay, group director of communications and public relations for Sims, said of the refusal to take the honor box, "I applaud our employees and we encourage our employees to act that way -- they did the right thing."

"We are getting less people trying to bring in stolen items because we are getting a reputation that we won't take them," Strechay said.

John Sartori, general manager of Connecticut operations for Sims, said, "We don't want to take a risk and buy something that is potentially stolen."

This month, company staff called police when someone came in with railroad scrap and when someone brought a sewer grate, according to Sartori.

"We want people to know: Don't come here with material that is stolen. We don't want it," Sartori said. "We want the word out there that we won't buy it from you and we'll call the police on you."

Staff will try to delay a seller with a suspicious item to give police time to arrive, but they don't have the power to detain anyone, Sartori said.

"We don't want our guys to get hurt," he said.

As for the staff not inspecting the trunk's contents when we sold chains, Strechay said typical practice is for staff to closely inspect items after they are dropped off. He looked up the transaction. Because a commodity number was entered on an internal ticket, it appears an inspector did look at the material after it was dropped off, according to Strechay. He said the business has several cameras to help monitor what happens on the property.

The company keeps a log of all metal thefts that have been reported to police, so staff can be on the lookout, according to Strechay.

We also took a Register honor box to Chase Waste Material Corp., on Middletown Avenue in New Haven. One staff member looked at it and told us to unload it in the yard.

We then were given a stub that indicated the type of metal, and we brought the stub inside to get paid.

At Chase, we had to provide identification, a driver's license, which they photocopied. Staff inside Chase's business asked what we had sold, and when said it was a newspaper honor box, the staffer asked no questions and paid $13 cash for it.

Afterward, Joe Cinquino, sales manager at Chase, said something like an honor box should be questioned, though it isn't an item they typically see there.

"We clearly look for items like a manhole cover, or a Stop & Shop shopping cart, items we would reject," Cinquino said.

On March 9, we sold a stove fan, metal box, pool ladder, child's gate and more at Regan Metal Corp. on Chapel Street in New Haven. The staff there required a driver's license. Staff watched closely as items were unloaded from the truck.

ENFORCEMENT ISSUES

After we completed our sales, we checked with the New Haven Police Department to see if they received the required reports of our transactions from the businesses.

Officer David Hartman said police received reports on all of the sales Register staff made at New Haven scrap facilities, except for the one March 21 at Alderman-Dow, the same transaction in which no one asked for our identification.

"Except for the one case where they didn't ask for ID, everything else was aboveboard and they performed as the law required," Hartman said.

The two newspaper honor boxes sold in New Haven were reported to police as being "iron," and the exhaust manifold was described as "number one steel."

Hartman noted that while these descriptions are acceptable and meet the requirements under the law, police couldn't track down stolen items with vague descriptions. More details on the items would help law enforcement, he said.

"If the New Haven Register's honor boxes had been reported stolen, we wouldn't have been able to find them from the inventory we received," Hartman said. "We'd want them to say 'New Haven Register honor box' on the report. Obviously, we'd love an opportunity to track down anything that has been stolen."

City police approached the scrap yards in question to reiterate the rules after learning of their performance in the Register's investigation, according to police and the businesses.

If police went to the dealers asking about a stolen honor box, Hartman said the businesses' staff would probably tell them.

"If we were looking for something they didn't want found, they wouldn't list it," Hartman said. "If someone brought in a manhole cover and we came and asked about one, had a dealer taken it in, they could just say 'no' and we'd never know. How do you police someone else's business? You impose laws and regulations and hope it will pressure the businesses to follow them."

Hartman added, "Crooks will quickly find out where they can get rid of stuff," referring to scrap businesses that would take questionable material.

According to Hartman, staff at Alderman-Dow contacted police when someone came in with a stolen historic plaque about George Washington attending services in 1789 at Trinity Episcopal Church on Church Street in New Haven. Because the business reached out to police, the plaque was recovered, Hartman said.

"In the situation where Alderman-Dow purchased the plaque, they said that, had they not done so, the seller may have left and sold it elsewhere," Hartman said.

According to Alderman, the business cooperated with police in a 2008 case in which electrical cables were stolen from the Fantasy of Lights holiday display at Lighthouse Park, and he said it has helped recover stolen vehicles.

"We make our best attempts to work with the New Haven police and remain in compliance with all scrap metal industry regulations," Alderman said.

At one point, New Haven had a string of thefts of storm grates, and Hartman said area scrap businesses did contact police when people came in trying to sell them.

"We appreciate their vigilance when they are vigilant," Hartman said. "It would be helpful if they could be a bit more forthcoming in certain situations as to what they are actually taking in."

According to Hartman, New Haven police do have plans to do periodic stings at scrap metal businesses.

Register staff also tested one Bridgeport facility. On March 21, we sold an air conditioner, copper piping, toaster oven, bed frame, metal cabinet, faucet and cup at Eastern Scrap Metals Inc. on Knowlton Street for $5 cash. The staff requested identification, a driver's license.

STOLEN military PLAQUES

There was a rash of thefts targeting memorial plaques in the Valley in recent months. In Derby, thieves took three bronze plaques that honored Pfc. Frank P. Witek, a Derby native and Medal of Honor recipient who was killed in action in World War II. In Ansonia, two large plaques were reported missing on Dec. 1 from the Woodbridge Avenue Honor Roll and War Memorial. In Shelton, a bronze plaque honoring Commodore Isaac Hull, a commander during the War of 1812, was reported missing Nov. 22.

Valley-area police say the memorial thefts remain unsolved, and police have theorized that they were sold quickly for cash.

"We know there are scrap yards out there taking material and not doing the proper thing," Ahern said. "It becomes hard for us to find stolen property when the businesses aren't doing what they are supposed to."

Ahern said he believes the Valley memorials probably have already been melted down.

"I doubt anyone would hold onto them," Ahern said. "(The thieves) would definitely unload them for the value of the scrap."

Bernard Williamson, secretary of the Derby Veterans Memorial Association, agreed they have probably been melted down already.

Williamson estimated the Derby plaques weighed about 100 pounds each, and would have required a couple of people to steal and move them.

As for the Register's sting and the performance by area scrap metal businesses, Williamson said, "You'd like to think they'd all ask for ID."

He added, "That is probably what happened to our plaques -- they went to one of these places that don't ask for identification. We have a law -- let's enforce it. If we don't, then shame on us."

Replacement markers for the Derby park will be fashioned in black granite, rather than metal, to discourage future thefts. The new Derby markers are expected to be installed this summer, according to Williamson.

Thieves have targeted area homes, stealing piping and wiring, causing extensive damage for a few dollars they can get by trading in the metals.

Sartori, of Sims, noted that copper piping isn't clearly suspicious and it is difficult to determine where it came from.

New Haven Alderwoman Jacqueline James said her family has been targeted too -- her sister's house was broken into during the daytime, with copper piping stolen, about a month ago in New Haven, she said.

"It is an ongoing issue," James said. "We as a state need to figure out what to do about this problem. With copper piping, it is very difficult because there is just no way to trace it. There is no way to say, 'That pipe came from that house,' so it is hard to find the culprits."

James said the state may need a commission or task force to target the problem, such as by having regular undercover sales to scrap dealers statewide, to see if they are in compliance.

In Middletown alone, there have been nine scrap metal thefts so far in 2012, involving copper, iron, an air conditioner and a hot water tank, according to Middletown police. Thieves stole air-conditioning coils from the roof of a Shelton business earlier this year, causing thousands of dollars in damage, Shelton police said.

In Torrington, scrap thefts have mostly involved thieves breaking into homes and businesses for copper piping. Torrington police Lt. Michael Emanuel said copper has been getting almost $4 per pound, so it is a popular target.

"During hard times, unfortunately, people will break the law to survive," said Vance, who said the thefts could also be drug-related. "Thieves are probably going to (scrap businesses) that are not in compliance. The law is clear that they are mandated to take ID.

"Do we patrol the scrap yards? No. If an investigation into theft leads us to a scrap yard, and they don't have the required records, there would be enforcement. Can they bypass the laws? Yes -- until they get caught."

Vance said he doesn't know how many scrap businesses or employees have been charged in the state for not following the rules.

Vance asserted that state laws have become more stringent in recent years, with much more required of scrap dealers. When the businesses get identification, it helps police develop a suspect, he said.

The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries Inc.'s website, www.scraptheftalert.com, has lists of scrap theft reports for businesses to monitor.

Lawmakers have worked to further address the scrap metal theft problem.

A bill before the General Assembly about desecration of war or veterans' memorials seeks to impose stiffer fines and would require full restitution for all costs of repair and replacement.

State Rep. Len Greene Jr., R-Beacon Falls, a co-sponsor of the bill, said of the Register's investigation, "There were a few instances that were concerning.

"It is surprising and disappointing that the Derby business wasn't asking for ID," he said. "It is good to hear, at least at Sims, that there was some suspicion on the part of a scrap metal business."

Greene continued, "Because of the economy and the high value of metal, people are out of control, going for things that were untouchable before, like veterans' memorials. To think anyone would stoop to stealing something of priceless value to veterans and their families is unfathomable."

State Rep. Jason Perillo, R-Shelton, a co-sponsor of the bill, said, "It is very clear that some people will do anything to make money, and if letting questionable metal slide is what it takes to make that money, they just don't care."

Greene said he supports the idea of police doing more random undercover sales of suspicious material at scrap businesses, similar to undercover stings with underage customers at liquor stores.

"How many homes have been pillaged for wiring and piping? The best way to limit it is to go after unscrupulous dealers," Greene said.

U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy, D-5, has proposed a bill to make it a federal crime to transport stolen veterans' memorials, monuments and plaques of any value across state lines. It would mean up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

It is now a felony to transport stolen goods valued at more than $5,000 across state lines. Murphy's proposal would remove the $5,000 threshold when it comes to veterans' monuments, so the penalties would apply regardless of how much they cost.

Register staff members Mark Brackenbury, Phyllis Swebilius and Pamela McLoughlin participated in this investigation. Call Michelle Tuccitto Sullo at 203-789-5707. Follow her on Twitter @nhrinvestigate. To receive breaking news first, text the word NHNEWS to 22700. *Msg+data rates may apply. Text HELP for help. Text STOP to cancel. Proceeds from the sales of items owned by the New Haven Register will be donated to the Fresh Air Fund.